With fall on the horizon, we’re escaping a slow summer and shifting into that final, fertile phase of the music year’s release cycle. Which makes it a ripe time to get some perspective on the year, in terms of the big records from past favorites, and here, the bands that have introduced themselves as new ones. Recently, NME conducted its own exercise in surveying the “new” crop of bands, turning in a list that rankled some of you, because you felt some bands were “old,” or because some bands were not to your liking, or because it was a list. The subjectivity of what makes a band the best at anything is of course primary grounds for debate; what makes a band the best at being “new” gives the argument more dimension. We found ourselves arguing and emailing about our own picks, and rules, and said fuck it: let’s publish this.
So, qualitative concerns are one thing … but what qualifies one as a “2010 act”? After discussing various rules based on arbitrary cut-off dates (debut LP release by x date, or an EP by y, or a first blog mention by z, etc.), we quickly realized that no single formula would satisfactorily account for the shifting, accelerated nature of this new hype-cycle that saturates-upon-contact in some cases, and builds slowly over years in others. By our discussions, Sleigh Bells, a band of which we’re obviously quite fond, felt more like last year’s story than this one’s, staking their claim to newness and arrival in terms of exposure and discussion the week they landed a Band To Watch stamp, during CMJ ‘09. Meanwhile, Warpaint put out an EP earlier that year but it’s only now, with excitement over newer tunes and a cemented lineup that it seems to be their time.
So we settled on a sniff test: If it felt the band’s discussion, their moment, their arrival, was tied to this year in our minds, then it was eligible for this list. So, sorry Local Natives, though we love you.
We invite you to argue with us, and with each other (duh). Argue about the bands’ newness, sure, but mostly, argue about their merits. If this is your first exposure to them, well that brings us to the overarching point of a list like this: Introduction. Each member of this year’s class is listed here alphabetically (no rankings) with a free and legal MP3 for your downloading pleasure. At the bottom of this post all 40 tracks are compiled via two zip files so you can load ‘em up for your Labor Day roadtrip.
Read More...
read more »
Gothenburg, Sweden"Come With Me"ceo on the Webceo on The Hype Machine
read more »
from
5 Acts on August 24, 2010
"Come With Me"
from the album White Magic
2010
iTunes
<object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/audio/player.swf" width="290" height="24" id="audioplayer1"><param name="movie" value="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/audio/player.swf"/><param name="FlashVars" value="playerID=1&bg=0xFFFFFF&leftbg=0xeeeeee&lefticon=0x534741&rightbg=0xcccccc&rightbghover=0x999999&righticon=0x534741&righticonhover=0xffffff&text=0x534741&slider=0x534741&track=0xFFFFFF&border=0x534741&loader=0xED1C24&soundFile=http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/ceo%20-%20Come%20With%20Me.mp3"/><param name="quality" value="high"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><param name="wmode" value="transparent"/></object>
One of the most interesting things about the Tough Alliance is the Swedish duo's relationship to optimism. TTA don't make songs about being happy; they make songs about wanting to be happy. They're as troubled as anyone else, but in line with the effervescent nature of their music, they simply refuse to wallow in bad feelings. When on 2007's A New Chance, Eric Berglund pleaded, "don't you die yet" and pointed out that "there's something else... something bright and pure that you've never felt before," it wasn't naïve positivity. This was a guy struggling with fear and depression and trying his damndest to stay hopeful.
When we talked to Berglund recently about his solo project ceo, it sounded like he may have found some peace. "[I have] a profound sense of belonging that will always stay with me no matter what happens... a feeling that I only dreamt of until a while ago", he said. So if TTA records were about holding on to hope no matter the cost, then the first ceo album, White Magic, is about achieving lasting contentment. Berglund says as much in the track "Oh God Oh Dear": "I finally touched life and it was all so clear."
That emotional clarity matches the album's sharp songcraft. As ever, Berglund's music has a remarkable sense of melody, and White Magic has the same tidy precision that initially set TTA apart. There's an understanding of hooks and pop structure here that almost seems only available to the Swedish. The record isn't completely made up of the pulsing electro-pop that you'd expect — there are some lush orchestral pieces sprinkled in — but each track is put together carefully with a keen sense of how the pieces fit together. To take one example, "Illuminata" is one of the more overtly danceable numbers on the record, and it's as big a pop song as anything by Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, or any other hook-friendly indie band out there.
Berglund also gets how melody fits into club music. Since we first came to know him and TTA, there's been a big uptick in the number of groups having a go at the sort of gentle Mediterranean disco often described as "Balearic." But Berglund and his Sincerely Yours crew understand this sound on another plane. Alongside friend and labelmate Kendal Johannson, who helped record the LP, he seamlessly marries the Balearic style with pop. Lead single "Come With Me" is a clinic on how to do this, constructing a blinding surface sheen that allows the song to function underneath. But there's also darker, less buoyant stuff here: opener "All Around" is loose and string-driven and the sinister title track has an almost Depeche Mode vibe.
The range of moods reinforces the record's overall theme — it's mostly upbeat, but there are traces of doubt and longing that suggest Berglund has a ways to go before feeling truly at ease. It's easy to connect with the emotional side of the album since everyone can identify with wanting to be happier. But that's only half the appeal. It's also totally possible to ignore all that and just lose yourself in the effortlessness of these songs. At just eight tracks in fewer than 30 minutes, White Magic is tantalizingly short, and Sincerely Yours' notorious secrecy makes it hard to say if there will ever be a follow-up. One-off or not, though, it's pretty obvious that ceo is the real deal.~ Joe Colly, Pitchfork
read more »
הרבה אלמנטים קטנים ונחמדים זורחים סביבי ביומיים האחרונים. לראשונה אחרי חודשים ארוכים אני חש כאילו סוג של חופש קטן מבצבץ באופק. לא נשארו מבחנים, הרבה אנשים באים ויוצאים מהדירה שלנו, מנדטים צפויים להתקיים בחיפה, תל-אביב וירושלים ואפילו מסיבת בריכה עומדת על הפרק. לכל זה הצטרף אתמול משעות הצהריים גם CEO השבדי, שכבר זכה ל"בינמוד" בפיטצ'פורק באחרונה – וחיכה לי בסבלנות על הכונן כמה ימים. כמו Delorean בקיץ שעבר, כך אריק ברגלונד בקיץ הזה. חי ומבעבע.
כל המוטיבים השבדים כאן, על כל המלודיות המתקתקה הרגילה והפזמונים המוצלחים, אלא שגם אווירה ים תיכונית (או שמא מעט קאריבית) נמצאת כאן. ובכלל, אפילו סיקסטיז נעים וביטלסי – שלעתים אני שוכח כמה ענוג הוא יכול להיות. אנחנו די נהנים ביחד, עד כדי כך שמבין 28 האלבומים שהורדתי מאז שבת – White Magic של ברגלונד הוא הפייבוריט. וברשימה הזו יש עוד כמה אלבומים שנשמעים מבטיחים מאוד, לא סתם. אולם לעתים, כשאיזה שבדי מחמד חדש מזמר לך ברקע – החיים נראים מושלמים, על אמת.
<object width="500" height="306"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4C9A3zJUemY&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4C9A3zJUemY&hl=en_US&fs=1?rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="500" height="306"></embed></object>
CEO :: Illuminata
CEO :: Come With Me
CEO :: Den Blomstertid Nu Kommer
האלבום המלא והמעולה
וכעת לנושא אחר לגמרי. אמריקה. מצד אחד, שיר מעולה חדש ל-The Walkmen בדרך לאלבום שבטוח יהיה טוב (כרגיל). מצד שני, Interpol עם שיר חדש ובינוני להחריד שגורם לי להתלבש בצבעוניות יתרה. אתם מוזמנים לשפוט בעצמכם.
The Walkmen :: Stranded
Interpol :: Barricade
read more »
Eric Berglund is most notably known for his phenomenal work with The Tough Alliance – a band that resides in the hearts of many many listeners including this here blogger. When I first caught...
[go to the website to read the rest of the article, download mp3s and more]
read more »
Our weekly Sirius | XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features new music from Magic Kids, Tennis, Wavves, All Saints Day, Washed Out, SLEEP ∞ OVER, Aias, The Sandwitches, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...
******
gorilla vs. bear blog radio :: June...
click through for more...
read more »
Our weekly Sirius | XM Blog Radio show airs today at noon Eastern (and again at midnight) on Sirius XMU. This week's episode features new music from ceo, Bodies of Water, Four Tet, the Morning Benders, Taken By Trees, James Blake, Menomena, Ariel Pink, and more. You can listen online with a free trial here. Check this week's playlist + some mp3s after the jump...
******
gorilla vs. bear blog...
click through for more...
read more »
If you missed it the first time around, CEO, aka Eric Berglund of The Tough Alliance, described his new solo project thusly:
ceo arises in 1981 and 1891. in 3064 and tomorrow. after ibrahimovic and before nectanebo II. before the dark ages and after spring break. before time was, ceo is.
ceo arises in miami, hell, holzschlag, [...]
read more »
No one knows "pop" better in the new millennium than CEO, who is basically Eric Berglund from one of our favorite slow-oozing electronic acts The Tough Alliance. Berglund burst back onto the scene just a few short weeks ago under...
read more »
I could wax lyrical all day about how much I love the work of director Marcus Söderlund. He’s probably the only video director whose work I follow religiously – The Tough Alliance, Air France, Jens Lekman, jj, Joel Alme, Taken By Trees – have been honoured with his deft, sensitive touch.
His latest creation, ‘Come With With’ is the first official clip from The Tough Alliance side-project ceo and it’s nothing short of stunning. Grab the mp3 of said track below.
ceo: ‘Come With Me’
The ceo album White Magic is due June 28 in Europe, June 29 in the U.S., and July 2 in Australia and New Zealand. Track-listing is as follows:
White Magic
01. All Around
02. Illuminata
03. Love and Do What You Will
04. White Magic
05. Oh God Oh Dear
06. No Mercy
07. Come With Me
08. ***
Click here to view the embedded video.
Related posts
[Download] jj: “Ceo Birthday”
Pop Profile #4 :: The Tough Alliance
jj signs to Secretly Canadian, no.3 due in March
jj reveal two brand new songs, download both inside
[Video] The Wind Whistles: ‘Turtle’
read more »
